Research for Cooking & Eating Habits, a new report from market intelligence provider Key Note, has revealed that consumers are continuing to be guided by a greater awareness of dietary requirements and effects on health.

Some 69.8 per cent of respondents agreed that they had been, or would be, influenced by dietary guidance on cooking and eating habits, slightly higher than the 66.5 per cent penetration rate recorded in the 2006 survey.

This suggests that being better informed does indeed persuade consumers to change their cooking and eating habits, presumably for the better.

However, the proportion of respondents who said that they were influenced by concern about the environment and/or free-trade production shot up from 59.4 per cent in 2006 to 67 per cent in 2009.

As was the case with diet- and health-related influences, women were more likely to agree than men. The youngest respondents recorded the highest penetration by far, whereas the oldest respondents showed the lowest penetration, indicating a positive trend for the future.

With growing demands on leisure time, fewer families regularly sit down to eat meals together. Overall, 44.5 per cent of respondents to Key Note’s survey agreed that their cooking and eating habits had changed, or might be changed, as a result of having more or less leisure time.

Trends such as cooking from scratch, avoiding waste by using up leftovers, resisting the temptation of luxury but unnecessary food, shunning fast food and convenience food, and shopping locally for cheaper seasonal food will help to improve the nation’s housekeeping skills and some health benefits will ensue, according to Key Note.

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